Two months ago, Lee Pulliam appeared to be down and falling out of the chase for the 2015 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) national championship. Then, a victory in the Hampton Heat 200 began a hot streak for the two-time national champion.
Now, after a dominant weekend which saw Pulliam clinch his fourth, fifth and sixth full field wins in eight days, Pulliam is back on top and back in control of his own destiny. Pulliam’s recent victories have not just create a feeling of inevitability that he could win his third national title but have also confirmed his modern day dynasty as one of Late Model Stock Car racing’s greatest drivers ever.
Pulliam has scored wins this season at Motor Mile Speedway, Langley Speedway, South Boston Speedway, Kingsport Speedway, Caraway Speedway and now Southern National Motorsports Park where he swept twin races in a thriller on Sunday afternoon.
“It was a great day, a great weekend for us,” Pulliam said when reminded of the implications of his Sunday afternoon victories. “We got three wins this weekend. We had the other two, with top fives, we had a second and a fifth. Just a great weekend. No sleep. I think we got about two hours last night and I drove the hauler down. We got to bed around two, and left at five to get here. It was an incredible effort by everybody, the whole team deserves a day off.”
Pulliam scored his victories at Southern National after hauling his cars from Motor Mile Speedway where he raced on Saturday night – scoring a victory and a second place finish and clinching the 2015 Motor Mile Speedway track championship in resounding fashion, scoring 11 wins in 14 races.
“If you had told me at the beginning of the year we would have won 11 out of 14 races, I would have told you you were crazy,” Pulliam commented. “It was pretty unreal. We really raced hard last night, both races. Just had a great car all year up there, great engines. Just came up a little short last night in that second race, but it was a fun battle.”
Pulliam’s resounding Motor Mile Speedway season saw him score six consecutive wins on the season, extending a winning streak that dated back to 2014.
“I’m not sure how many I got up to, but it was quite a few,” Pulliam remarked. “I think I tied Philip Morris for the record. It was quite a few there. Then we lost one, and then we got back on a winning streak again. Just a fun place, I love racing there, it’s got a lot of grip. You can get pretty aggressive with the cars. We had won the last race the year before, so you’re right, we did actually beat the record, so it was pretty special. We tied Jeff Agnew, which was a pretty big deal for me. I grew up watching Jeff race, it’s pretty cool to be tied with him.”
Despite his success at Motor Mile and South Boston, the summer months saw northern Modified racers Keith Rocco and Ryan Preece as well as Midwestern dirt standout Thomas Tillison rise to the top of the national standings. It was his victory in the season’s first marquee race, the Hampton Heat 200, that put his championship hopes back on track.
“We never give up, but I knew it was going to be tough, just because the way those guys win races, they win a lot of races. We just had a phenomenal last two months of the year, and won some big races. Starting out with the Hampton Heat, and we just built momentum from there. That’s just been great, man. I’ve been blessed and just proud to drive for Travis and Eddie Kiker and God has blessed me immensely.
“It was big for us, and our team. We raced Motor Mile the night before, basically didn’t get no sleep that night either. I guess we perform better when we don’t rest, I don’t know. Everybody’s just grumpy and working harder. It was just the beginning of a great thing. Just went on a streak there, and from that point on, we won a lot of races.”
During his recent hot streak, Pulliam finally conquered the Concrete Jungle, Tennessee’s Kingsport Speedway, a track that frustrated him during his 2012 pursuit of the national championship.
“That was huge. That place is totally different. They run on old spec shocks, it’s pretty crazy. It’s a totally different animal up there. so it was really special for us to get the win there. To beat Kres VanDyke wheel-to-wheel by a couple of feet made it even better.”
His Sunday afternoon victories at Southern National Motorsports Park did not come as easy as many thought it would be. He spent the first race deadlocked in an epic battle for the win with Bradley McCaskill. The two raced side-by-side, nose-to-nose with McCaskill, using the outside line that’s not typically used at the 4/10-mile speedplant, managing to edge Pulliam to the stripe just about every lap. When the white flag flew, Pulliam managed to get around McCaskill and held on after McCaskill made one more shot in three and four to score the win.
“There’s just so many different combinations, and it’s hard to have the best one when there’s so many. We had a good one tonight, and it all worked out. The 7 car (Bradley McCaskill), he had a really strong engine combination. If he could get it a little better through the corner, he would have been tough to beat.”
After an inversion in the second race, Pulliam raced his way back to the lead but that race was no cakewalk after he got the race. His primary challenge came from relative newcomer Kate Dallenbach after a competition caution bunched the field back up. Dallenbach elected to take the outside line, raced side-by-side with Pulliam. After he was able to clear her, she gave him a shot and tried to draw even once again but Pulliam was able to drive away off turn two.
“She did a great job. She raced hard. That’s what it’s all about. She didn’t give us anything, we didn’t give her anything. Just good, hard racing.”
Pulliam is already looking ahead to Martinsville, a race he has won twice, as well as the one crowned jewel event that has eluded him throughout his illustrious career, the Thanksgiving Classic.
“Really putting a lot of effort into Martinsville, getting ready right now. You know, just trying to get everything tuned up. That’s such a big event. Myrtle Beach, and, you know, the Thanksgiving Classic here, both of those races would be key. We’ll be gunning hard for all of them. It would be pretty cool to win the Thanksgiving Classic. I’ve come close and just never been able to get it done.”
While few can question Pulliam’s success this season, there is one notable thing missing from his 2015 resume – a start in the brand new Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) Late Model Stock Tour. Pulliam says he may check that one off when the series heads to Hickory Motor Speedway for their finale on November 1st.
“It’s a good possibility. We’ve been taking it week by week at the shop, been working the guys super hard.”
Pulliam now has 28 wins on the 2015 season and, while his weekend victories did not officially lock up the championship, they did put him in control of his own destiny.
“We won’t celebrate it until they call us.”
